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The planet we live on: The beginnings of the Earth Sciences

The planet we live on: The beginnings of the Earth Sciences

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BacteriaAncestralorganismArchaeaFishancestorFishAmphibiansReptilesFungiPlantsAnimalsEukaryotesBirdsMammalsFigure 4.10: A cladogram showing <strong>the</strong> relati<strong>on</strong>ships<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> major groups <strong>of</strong> life <strong>on</strong><strong>Earth</strong>.Figure 4.11: <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> relati<strong>on</strong>ships <strong>of</strong> major animalgroups, shown by a cladogram.Around 1000 milli<strong>on</strong> years ago, all <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tinents had combined toge<strong>the</strong>r into <strong>on</strong>e hugelandmass in <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn hemisphere that <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> call Rodinia. This superc<strong>on</strong>tinent beganto break up around 750 milli<strong>on</strong> years ago and <strong>the</strong> different c<strong>on</strong>tinents <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re shuffled around,but by about 550 milli<strong>on</strong> years ago all <strong>the</strong> major c<strong>on</strong>tinents that now form <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rnhemisphere c<strong>on</strong>tinents (today’s South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica - withIndia as <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>ll) had recombined into ano<strong>the</strong>r superc<strong>on</strong>tinent that <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> call G<strong>on</strong>dwana,whilst <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tinents that <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> now identify as North America, Europe and Siberia <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>reall separate (Figure 4.12). As time moved <strong>on</strong>, ‘North America’ collided with ‘Europe’ as<strong>the</strong> G<strong>on</strong>dwana c<strong>on</strong>tinent moved northwards towards <strong>the</strong>m (Figure 4.13)Bet<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>en 300 and 250 milli<strong>on</strong> years ago all <strong>the</strong> major c<strong>on</strong>tinents <strong>on</strong> <strong>Earth</strong> had been joinedtoge<strong>the</strong>r again to form <strong>the</strong> largest superc<strong>on</strong>tinent ever seen <strong>on</strong> <strong>Earth</strong> (Figure 4.14), that<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> call Pangaea. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>n Pangaea began to split apart, forming first <strong>the</strong> North AtlanticOcean and later <strong>the</strong> South Atlantic Ocean, as Antarctica, Australia and India separatedfrom Africa. By around 100 milli<strong>on</strong> years ago, all <strong>the</strong> major c<strong>on</strong>tinents <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> recognise todayhad separated from <strong>on</strong>e ano<strong>the</strong>r (Figure 4.15).<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinents c<strong>on</strong>tinued to move, India collided with Asia forming <strong>the</strong> Himalayan mountainrange, and Africa impacted <strong>on</strong> Europe forming <strong>the</strong> Alps. All <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tinents moved105

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